Kwesé, ESPN broadcast agreement for IAAF

Econet Media will bring International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) competitions to its Kwesé TV platform in sub-Saharan Africa from 2018, having reached an exclusive agreement with ESPN, who were representing the IAAF.

The six-year deal, brokered by ESPN’s Media Distribution unit, begins on January 1st 2018 with Kwesé TV becoming the exclusive broadcaster for IAAF events and content in sub-Saharan Africa, these will feature across its free-to-air and pay-TV channels as well as the new Kwesé Play service.

The deal includes the next three IAAF World Championships (2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, 2021 IAAF World Championships in Eugene, Ore., USA and 2023 IAAF World Championships) as well as the next three IAAF World Indoor Championships (2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, UK, 2020 and 2022) and more than a dozen other competitions in the IAAF World Athletics Series.

Joseph Hundah, President and Group CEO of Econet Media, said: “Our exclusive collaboration with ESPN was forged on our collective commitment to bringing the best in world class sporting content to African audiences. Athletics enjoys a huge following on the continent with African sports men and women dominating in a number of categories. The IAAF is an important addition to our Kwese Sports portfolio as we extend our offering and build Africa’s most diverse sports destination.”